The minister clarified that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) acknowledged the need for a new framework for cooperation, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
The head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, stated at the end of last month that “the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, constitutes a problem in the path to normalizing relations with the agency due to his personal influence by the international dominance system.”
Eslami mentioned that “inspectors from the IAEA came to Iran to monitor the fuel replacement process at the Bushehr plant and left the country after completing their mission.”
Last month, the spokesperson for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Behrouz Kamalvandi, announced that IAEA inspectors supervise the fuel replacement process at the Bushehr nuclear plant.
Iranian news agency IRNA reported that Kamalvandi’s statements were made during a press conference, where he confirmed that “any IAEA inspection in Iran is conducted after agreeing on a cooperation framework and approval by the Supreme National Security Council of the country.”
Kamalvandi noted that “this measure is part of implementing the scheduled timeline for the nuclear plant in the city of Bushehr, located in southern Iran, ensuring the electricity grid is supplied with the necessary capacity in a timely manner.”
The spokesperson for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization emphasized that it was agreed to have IAEA inspectors oversee the fuel replacement process there.
He stressed that “it is obvious that any inspection will be conducted after reaching an understanding between Tehran and the IAEA on the cooperation framework and approval by the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, based on its decision.”
In a meeting with Iranian media representatives, Bezhikian emphasized that his government “has not taken any step without interaction and coordination with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and will not do so in the future.”
